


A New Beginning

by Luna Kangjon (ainselwriter)



Category: The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild
Genre: Canon Compliant, Gen, Minor Link/Zelda (Legend of Zelda), POV Zelda (Legend of Zelda)
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2021-01-09
Updated: 2021-02-28
Packaged: 2021-03-12 22:28:11
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 3,822
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28642956
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ainselwriter/pseuds/Luna%20Kangjon
Summary: After sending Link to the shrine of resurrection, Zelda used her power to try and seal Calamity Ganon away.  She ended up putting both Ganon and herself in a stasis for one hundred years. But she does not spend this time idly; even before she has the privilege of watching Link, Zelda finds herself learning a lot from someone very unexpected.
Relationships: Link/Zelda (Legend of Zelda)
Kudos: 13





	1. Motivation

**Author's Note:**

> This story was inspired by the idea that Zelda and Ganon might have talked during the 100 years they were stuck together. I often see this 100 years depicted as Zelda enduring endless suffering, but I think that last stretch might have had more of her actively exerting effort. So, I wanted to explore the former idea, and how a beast like Calamity Ganon might have communicated with her. Also I swear I did not tag all those character up there for the sake of one-sentence mentions, they will each have at least a proper little flashback later on.

When Zelda tried to use her newly unlocked power to seal away Ganon, the whole world seemed to fill with the golden light. She’d heard a terrible screech, and then...nothing. Everything was dark, everything was quiet. After a few moments, she began to wonder if she’d died, but after discovering she could move, decided that might not be the case. Unable to see a thing in the darkness, Zelda moved slowly, carefully, feeling around for any obstacles. But there was nothing; no walls, no doors...there didn’t even seem to be a floor. After a while, she began to walk more freely, no longer concerned about running into anything. And she never did; but she never got anywhere either. 

Wherever she was, it did not seem to have an end. After a long while—days, months, years, or more, she couldn’t be sure—Zelda sat down on the vast plane of nothingness. Confusion and curiosity soon gave way to boredom. Was this to be her fate then? Trapped in this endless expanse for the rest of time? It wouldn’t be so distressing if she knew this had indeed kept someone in Hyrule safe, but at this point, she just didn’t know. Did it even work? 

**“What…do...you…fight…for?”**

Zelda nearly jumped at the sudden voice that seemed to echo throughout the area. It was deep and terrifying, yet...it sounded almost pained, like every word was a struggle. Getting to her feet, she looked around frantically, trying to get a glimpse of the source. But even if it was right in front of her, she wouldn't have been able to see it.

“W-what?” she managed at last. The voice answered with a guttural growl. She couldn't place how, but she could tell it was an impatient one too. Perhaps it wanted her to answer..  
  
“I...I fight for Hyrule, obviously. I fight to protect my people, as is my duty.”  
  
Laughter filled her ears, an eerie one filled with a malicious sort of mirth. It sent a shiver up her spine, but at the same time, made her fists curl up in frustration.

“What’s so funny?” she spat, more venom in her tone than she intended. But the booming laugh continued on as if it hadn’t heard her at all. What _was_ this thing? She’d wandered around for ages without running into anything. Could it be a person trapped here alongside her? She reached out into the darkness again, but felt the same nothingness she had since coming here. The laughter continued, crashing around her like thunder as she felt her temper rising. How dare this thing take her declaration as a joke?! 

“Who are you?!” she demanded. The laughter did not abate, but an answer appeared before her all the same. A blinding flash of orange lit up the darkness, making Zelda squint. After acclimating a moment or two, she realized what it was: an eye. Or more accurately, the iris of an otherwise black eye, save a few dull strings of purple around what must have been the lids. She’d seen this eye before; others like it sprouted out of the malice that had consumed the castle, the malice that had been consuming all of Hyrule. Did that mean this was…

“...Calamity Ganon?” Her voice was hushed now, barely audible over the continued laughter around her. It took a moment for the shock to wear off, but once it did, she felt a new surge of hope rise within her; if Ganon was here, that means he wasn’t in Hyrule, right? So she’d succeeded! 

_At least to some degree._

Now that she knew who was laughing at her, she felt her anger rise again. She folded her arms in contempt. She still wasn’t sure whether she was trapped in this strange space with Ganon or if Ganon was what she was trapped in, but either way, he had _no right_ to be laughing at _her_.

“Well,” she continued, raising her voice to be heard over that horrible sound, “I don’t know why you find my answer so funny. It’s certainly a better answer than _you_ have, I’m sure.” All at once, the laughter finally stopped. Had she offended him? _Good_. Still...as the eerie silence hung in the air, she began to wonder why. Surely he understood that fighting to destroy Hyrule was a vastly inferior motivation than trying to save Hyrule, right? Then again...destroying Hyrule wasn’t really a motivation, was it? It was more of an end goal than anything. But then what was his motivation? She’d never really thought about it before. Perhaps being a force of evil was enough but...was there more to it? Zelda sighed. Clearly Ganon had some reason if he was so affected by her accusation. It wouldn't hurt to ask.

“Well? Are you going to pout about it, or are you going to tell me what exactly it is _you_ fight for?”

Dark purple smoke began to gather in front of her, becoming a thick mist in seconds, and then clearing to reveal...a Sheikah research lab. At least, she assumed that’s what it was based on what she’d seen before. Two Sheikah stood talking with each other, a man and a woman, neither of which she recognized. The man looked absolutely livid.

“It’s ridiculous!” he shouted. “Our clan has been serving the royal family for _generations_ , and they still don’t trust us?” The woman looked uncomfortable, uncertain.

“Yes, but the king says this technology is dangerous, there is no longer a need—”

“Of _course_ it’s dangerous!” he cut in. “That’s what we do! You think this war is the only time we’ve helped protect the royal family? Our clan has always carried out the less pleasant tasks of this regime, silencing dissenters, doing whatever it takes to protect this kingdom and its people.”  
  
“But there must be a reason…” the woman insisted, though she sounded more like she was trying to convince herself now.  
  
“Of course there is a reason,” he scoffed. “Our technology has grown to the point that the common person can do what only trained magic users could do before. That is what scares them—the idea of a population that isn’t totally dependent on them. The idea of subjects he needs to _earn_ respect from!” 

Suddenly, a silence fell between the two Sheikah. The rising tension and anger in the room was palpable, so much so that Zeldaactually felt it spike in intensity when the woman’s expression finally shifted to match the man’s.

“You’re right.”

“I think,” the man said bitterly, “we were on the wrong side of this war.” 

“They don’t even care about us,” the woman added. “All that talk about researching anti-aging technology to benefit the elderly, healing technology...it was all a lie! They just wanted it to keep their soldiers ready to fight! And now that there is no fight…”

“They only see it as a threat,” the man finished. “Well, if they insist on treating us like a threat, perhaps that’s what we should be.”

The scene faded into a dark purple mist, quickly swallowed up by the void around them again. At first, Zelda was puzzled by what she saw; why was Ganon showing her this? And more importantly, what exactly had she just witnessed? Well...thinking back to her historical studies, she did know that the Sheikah tribe split thousands of years ago after Calamity Ganon was last sealed away. At the request of the king of Hyrule, many Sheikah gave up their technology and settled on a simpler, peaceful life in Kakariko village. But some were not happy with this. Those were the ones that formed the Yiga clan, swearing their allegiance to Ganon instead. Was this the beginnings of that? She’d always been taught that the Yiga Clan was made up of traitors, but this…this made it seem like…

“You are the heir to a throne of nothing.”

Zelda looked up, startled by her father’s voice. She’d been so lost in thought, she had no idea when he appeared, but there he was...standing before her outside her study just as he had the last time she saw him. The words stung now just as much as they had then, even if she knew he had only been quoting rumors from the castle. 

_It wasn’t something he truly believed himself. Right?_

Zelda closed her eyes and frowned. Her father had said it was her destiny to prove them wrong, but that’s not what she saw in his eyes. There was sadness there...disappointment. All she’d ever wanted was to help, to be accepted for what she _could_ do instead of reprimanded for what she could not. But he was right, wasn’t he? Even now that she’d unlocked the sealing power, even now that she’d sort of succeeded, who was she helping? There was no one left to help.

_Well, almost no one._

The was one last sliver of hope that kept her going: _Link_. Her knight had fallen in battle, but his sword had spoken to her and told her there was still hope in saving him. She’d done all she could to ensure he had a chance to come back, ordering her guards to bring him to the shrine of resurrection. She had no idea how long it would take...or if it would work at all. But it’s all she had left. Zelda took a deep breath, opening her eyes again to look upon an empty void once more. 

“So…” she replied at last, “you fight...for the Yiga?” 


	2. Malice

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter covers small references to a bunch of different games in the Legend of Zelda series, including (somewhat vague) references to spoilers for Hyrule Warriors: Age of Calamity.

Ganon responded with a terrifying roar that shook the non-existent walls of the area around them. Zelda winced—that definitely seemed like a yes. It felt odd to sympathize with such a monster, but it made sense. Those people...her people...they were abandoned by all of Hyrule. Was it any wonder they wanted to find someone else to follow? To serve?

Before she could think on it any further though, the purple smoke gathered in front of her again, clearing a moment later to reveal a new scene. The first thing her eye was drawn to was a giant black orb adorned with golden horns and one massive eyeball. Though it was also outlined in gold, the eye itself was completely red, save the little flashes of gold around the iris as four swords struck it repeatedly. Each of these swords was wielded by one of four identical boys wearing a green tunic and cap. It was a bizarre thought, but something about them reminded her a little of Link. Suddenly, there was an explosion, and white light filled the area. 

Once it cleared, an entirely new scene was visible before her. A strange person with an ornate robe of green, black, red and gold fell to their knees on what appears to be some sort of platform. Although she couldn’t see their face behind the mysterious (and slightly frightening) mask they wore, she could tell they were devastated about something. They beat the ground angrily, first with their arms, then their head, making horrible anguished sounds as they did so. Just before the vision was swallowed up by the purple mist again, the masked person looked up to the sky, their eyes widening, mouth hanging agape. Wait, how was that possible with a mask…?

“I don’t understand…” Zelda replied softly, unsure what to make of these strange images. 

Another guttural roar emitted from the void as the dark mist rolled in again. Once it cleared, Zelda saw a terrifying demon with blazing red hair and jet-black scales along his arms fighting what she could only assume to be the Goddess Hylia herself. She wielded a massive, beautiful sword in one hand, and a golden harp in the other. All around them were burned cities, ruined fields...it was an uncomfortably familiar sight. Again and again they clashed, the Goddess’ brilliant white sword seeming evenly matched by the demon’s jet black one. It wasn’t until she played the harp that she finally gained the upper hand; something about the music slowed the demon’s movements, even seemed to halt him completely at points. Seizing the opportunity, the Goddess rushed forward and thrust the sword through the demon, filling the area with a golden light. 

When the light faded, Zelda noticed she was somewhere new. The entire ground seemed to be covered in water, reflecting the stormy sky above it. There were no trees, no walls, no buildings…nothing to distract her from the fight going on at its center. There, the same demon from before was fighting a much smaller man, perhaps a Hylian? The man was clad in green, just as those four boys had been who were fighting the giant eye. This man was a bit older than those four though, making the resemblance to Link even more striking. He too wielded a sword—wait. That was  _ the _ sword, the sword that seals the darkness! That was Link’s sword! 

After knocking the demon off his feet, the man leapt into the air, raising the sword to the sky as a bolt of lighting shot down toward it. The blade seemed to absorb this light, now glowing a bright blue as the man turned the blade toward his opponent on his descent. It landed squarely in the demon’s stomach, eliciting a deep scream that echoed throughout the area. Despite coming from such a monstrous creature, the cry was distinctly more human than Ganon’s had been when she tried to seal him away. 

_ Is this the hero of legend? _

Light filled the room, clearing to reveal a completely new location once again. This time the water was all around her, massive waterfalls in every direction. At the center, there was a platform where a large man in an ornate robe (though not as ornate as the masked-person from earlier) was fighting the green-clad hero again. This version seemed younger, making Zelda wonder if these visions were chronological. The larger man she did not recognize, though honestly he looked a lot like a Gerudo. She’d never actually seen a male Gerudo in all her life of course, but the facial features, the skin color, even the bright red hair and beard...it all fit. Suddenly, the hero leapt up, dodging both swords the other man swung at him, and thrust his own sword into the Gerudo’s head. He let out a loud cry of pain...no, of  _ anger _ , and that same blinding white light filled the area once more. 

When the light cleared this time, she saw the Gerudo man again, though this time he was not wearing the robe. Instead, he wore a set of impressive-looking armor and ornate jewels on his head. He was chained up and surrounded by people she did not recognize. All of them seemed to glow with a white light, not unlike the Goddess’ sword had. One of them even pulled out what could have been a mini-replica of that very sword, and thrust it into the Gerudo’s stomach, easily tearing right through his armor. To Zelda’s surprise, not a single drop of blood spilled from the wound; instead, it glowed with the same white light as the sword. At this point, she fully expected the scene to change again, but instead, it lingered. Suddenly, she noticed a new light coming from the back of the man’s hand…and an oddly familiar one at that. It was the same light, the same symbol as the one that she’d seen on her own hand when she finally unlocked her sealing power. The man looked up, his bright yellow eyes filled with a renewed determination. He broke free of his chains. Without hesitating a moment, he lunged forward, killing the being who thrust the sword into him in a single hit. Horrified, the remaining ones opened some sort of portal that sucked the Gerudo in, finally causing the scene to fade to white once more. 

When the light cleared, she saw the same man riding on horseback with the hero in pursuit on a brown horse of his own. The latter was older again, and wore the same green outfit as the others. But he wasn’t alone this time; there was a brown-haired woman riding with him on the same horse, wielding a brilliant golden bow. Maybe it was just the colors and shape, but it vaguely reminded Zelda of the Goddess’ harp. The woman herself was dressed like a princess of the royal family though, so perhaps she was one of Zelda’s ancestors?

Whenever she drew back her bowstring, her arrows glowed with a golden light, and each time they struck the Gerudo, he slowed, allowing the hero a chance to strike him with his sword. When he was finally knocked off completely, the scene shifted again. This time it was seamless though, no blinding light or thick purple fog to indicate the transition. All of a sudden, she just saw the hero and the Gerudo man fighting in that field, this time surrounded by glowing barriers of some sort. This time each of them only had one sword, and they seemed evenly matched in skill. But once again, the Geurdo was knocked off his feet, and the hero leapt into the air. Just before he landed, Zelda noticed something strange on the Gerudo’s stomach—that same glowing wound from earlier when he’d been chained up. When the hero landed, thrusting his sword into it, the Gerudo let out the longest cry yet. Several long, painful seconds passed before the scene finally faded to white. When the light cleared, she was looking at...some sort of demon again. 

It wasn’t like the first though, it looked far more beast than man, walking on all fours and rearing its massive tusks like an angry boar. It even had the snout of one! But despite all that, it bore a striking resemblance to the Gerudo man..at least in terms of its face. The skin color was similar, the mane was the same fiery red, and even the jewels that had adorned the head of that most recent version were all there. But his eyes were strikingly different—they had no pupils or irises at all. The only thing that shown out of these eyes was a golden light that seemed to radiate with rage. The hero was not present this time, but the boar was still fighting something...some sort of wolf with someone riding on its back. Or some _ thing _ …? She’d never seen any creature like that before. She watched as it used its hair to grab the beast and thrust it aside, only to have the pair of them transform into...the hero! It was the same green-clad warrior again, though Zelda couldn’t begin to fathom how. It was only then she noticed that wound again, right in the stomach of the boar, with that same white light pouring out. That settled it; this  _ was _ the same man, the same as before! But why was he this beast now?

This time when the sword hit, the sound that came out of the beast (or the Gerudo?) was far less human. It sounded more like some sort of demonic pig squealing in pain. The shift was quick this time, only a brief flash of white light separating one scene from the next. A similar-looking boar of a man was fighting the green-clad hero again. This time, a blonde-haired woman dressed as a princess of the royal family was holding the creature in place with some sort of light without a source. No...she WAS the source, it was coming from her! Zelda could even see the faint glow of the triforce coming from her hand as the green-clad hero leapt forward and pierced the creature’s forehead with that same sword. Once again, it sounded like an angry pig. 

After this, scenes began to switch even faster, barely giving Zelda enough time to fully digest them. All sorts of large, boar-like animals were slain again and again by the hero and princess, looking less and less like that original Gerudo man with each defeat. She could feel his hatred growing with each defeat too, far outweighing that of the sheikah in the first vision. Finally, with the sheer force of the anger and hatred was almost suffocating, the beast before her barely resembled the Gerudo man at all. 

Now the beast she saw before her was unmistakably Calamity Ganon. 

Calamity Ganon stood before a hero clad in blue and a princess clad in white. Once again, the latter held the beast in place as the hero dealt the final blow. But this time, instead of fading to white, she saw Ganon sealed away. This was the first time...the first time Calamity Ganon was defeated ten thousand years ago.

This time, the scene didn’t shift with a flash of white light, but rather seemed to melt into a familiar dark purple ooze: malice. It spread quickly, filling up the entire area with that malicious sludge. Zelda could feel the anger and hatred radiating from all around her, threatening to consume her completely. As if that wasn’t bad enough, a new monster suddenly emerged from the muck, a colossal demon. Despite its more humanoid form and bright red hair, it more closely resembled Calamity Ganon than the demon she saw in the first scene with the hero. It looked like it was covered in something like the malice, but one with a red glow instead of purple. There were crimson flames coming out of his ankles, wrists, shoulders, and mouth, all radiating with a hatred that burned so strong she could barely breathe. This had to be Calamity Ganon...or some form of him.

Just when she thought she might be consumed by it all though, Zelda saw something white fly out from behind her, a small, egg-shaped guardian she’d never seen before. It burst into an explosion of blue light, causing Zelda to shield her eyes and look away. When her gaze shifted behind her, she saw herself surrounded by...everyone. Revali, Mipha, Urbosa, Daruk, her father, Link, and everyone else she failed to save. As the light from the blast faded though, so too did everyone there...except her. She watched herself raise her now glowing hand toward the creature, so she looked back toward the demon to find that it wasn’t there anymore. Now it was the Calamity Ganon she’d faced in reality, the horrible creature she’d fought so hard to seal away, the reason she was here. Just as in her own memory, the world filled with a golden light, and then faded into darkness.

Just as she was beginning to wonder if all of that had been in her head, she saw that single eye open in the darkness again, staring silently at her. 


End file.
